


Twinkle Twinkle Little star

by ThirdGenerationRockette



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kidfic, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 11:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13786818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirdGenerationRockette/pseuds/ThirdGenerationRockette
Summary: Thursday feels, for some unknown reason, like the longest day in history, and everyone who ever annoys her chooses to exercise that right, to the point where, by mid-afternoon, she's ready to scream.





	Twinkle Twinkle Little star

Henry is her first pick up, thankfully both boys are in the same building, but Henry finishes earlier, so she leaves with enough time to make it to the school, proud of herself when she actually ends up there ten minutes early. This morning she promised them a quick stop for cookies before they head back to the office to see Will, and she wonders if they'll remember her telling them that Daddy will be away for a few nights but that if they're good boys maybe he'll bring something back for them. She's fairly sure Henry will remember the promise of food after school, but she's not sure about the rest.

"Mommy!" He comes charging towards her, as enthusiastically as he always does, his jacket half on, his backpack almost as big as he is as it drags behind him. He grins and waves a sheet of paper at her. "I made a picture for you."

"You did? Thank you, sweetie," she says, leaning down to kiss him, ruffling his blonde hair as he grins at her.

"Look, it's you, and Daddy, and Tom Tom and Yona, and me!" he says, proudly pointing out each of the figures scrawled onto the paper.

"What's this, honey?" She points at the figure he identified as Leona, biting back a smirk at the huge smudge of bright yellow hair on top of her head.

"It's hot dogs, Yona bringed us hot dogs!" He grins more widely and she laughs, wondering if Leona has any idea that in her four-year-old's mind, her name is synonymous with food.

"How about we go and wait for Thomas?" She crouches down and slides his arm into his jacket, securing his backpack for him before taking hold of his hand.

"Yeah, we have to get Tom Tom so we can get cookies," he says, proving her point that if there was one thing he would remember it would be the promise of food. "Chocolate chip cookies."

Thomas comes out of school with an equally big smile on his face when he spots her, running over and hugging her before pointing at Henry's drawing and grinning.

"What did you draw?" Thomas asks, moving just quickly enough to avoid the drawing hitting him in the face as Henry waves it in front of him.

"It's everybody," Henry says, grinning back at him. "You and me and Mommy and Daddy and Yona!"

"Are my boys ready for cookies?" She takes Thomas's hand and squeezes it, doing the same with Henry's on her other side, unsurprised by their excited response.

They both opt for chocolate chip cookies and milk, while she chooses a muffin and a large coffee, steering them to a table at the window and putting the tray down, watching as they both take their jackets off in anticipation of their snacks.

"Mommy?" Thomas looks up at her in between bites, a tiny frown in his face. 

"Yes?" She smiles at him, moving Henry's milk further from the edge of the table.

"Luke said all little boys come from their mommy's tummy," he says, pausing, giving her a second to wonder where this may be going. "Did me and Henry come from your tummy?"

"You did, yes," she says, watching as Henry takes a break from his cookie and looks up at her.

"Did we grow in there? In your tummy?" Thomas takes another bite of his cookie before turning back to her, his eyes wide.

"Well, almost. You didn't grow in my tummy where my lunch goes, but ladies have little spaces close to their tummies where babies grow." She smiles at him, reassuringly she hopes, as she reaches for her coffee. "And that's where you grew. You started off tiny, like a peanut, and then you got a bit bigger, and now look at you, Tom Tom."

"And me?!" Henry's eyes are wide too, and she almost laughs at the look of disbelief on his face.

"You too, sweetie, but not at the same time." She smiles at him, then at Thomas, watching as they both go back to their cookies even as they seem amazed by what they're hearing.

"But how did we get in there?" There it is, the line of questioning she feared he might be approaching, and one she had somewhat cruelly hoped would land with Will.

"Well, sometimes when a Mummy and Daddy really love each other, they want to have a baby," she says, moving her hand to rest on the back of his head, her fingers combing softly through his dark hair as she knows she's avoiding a direct answer. "And if they're really lucky, they get two, like we got you and Henry."

"I have brown hair like you, but Henry has hair like Daddy." He pauses, seemingly taking her answer in his stride, his gaze shifting from her face up to her hair, and back again.

"That's right." She's amused and she senses he has more questions, like he has questions about everything right now, so she'll wait for him to get there.

"But...why?" he asks, his faint frown fading slightly when she smiles at him.

“Because you and Henry came from Daddy and I, you each have parts of you that look a little bit like both of us,” she says, wondering if she’s about to get this horribly wrong, if she’s on the edge of opening up a whole new line of questioning that she really isn’t prepared for. “You have hair that’s like mine but you have eyes the same colour as Daddy’s, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but…” He bites his lip in thought, also something she knows he gets from her and that makes her smile. “Me and Henry don’t look the same though.”

“Not even a little bit?” She grins at him as he ponders, and glances at her boys, thinking about how he's right, they do look different most of the time, yet when she and Will are with them both they suddenly look much more alike, almost as though the four of them have become a puzzle, only complete when they’re together.

“Nope, I look like me and he looks like him,” he says with absolute certainty as he points at his brother before reaching for his glass of milk, lifting it carefully and taking a big gulp before he puts it back down on the table.

“Well, that’s true,” she says, reaching out to gently ruffle his hair, watching as he screws his nose up slightly, doing the same to Henry watching him grin up at her. “All I know is that you’re both as cute as two shiny little buttons.”

“Buttons?!” He giggles and his eyes crinkle like hers, which she won’t risk confusing him by pointing out. “You’re silly, Mommy.”

“You know what I’d like right now, Tom Tom?” she asks, taking a sip of coffee and glancing at her watch, noting that they still have another ten, maybe fifteen minutes of treat time left before she needs to head back to the office.

“I think I know…” He grins again and holds up his chocolate chip cookie. “You can have some of my cookie, and I can have some of your muffin, right?”

“You’re a clever boy, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” His grin slides and his little brow furrows as he looks up at her, his concentration face looking uncannily like Will’s. “Wait, did you eat lunch, Mommy?”

“I did.” It’s a white lie, she doesn’t know if two bites of a sandwich really counts as lunch, but at least the intention was good. “What did you eat for lunch, sweetie?”

“I ate a sandwich with cheese, and an apple and juice and maybe something else…” He runs through the list at a pace that doesn’t allow for breathing, and then stops as he seems to be trying to remember if he did in fact eat anything else, and she wonders not for the first time if it’s normal for a mother to find her own kids quite as cute as she finds hers.

She watches as he carefully breaks his cookie and hands her a piece, the fractionally bigger piece of the two in his hands, she notes with pride, and then she does the same with her blueberry muffin, setting it down on his plate as she reaches for her coffee again. He takes a bite of the muffin first, chewing slowly and leaning forward for his plate to catch the crumbs. She decides she really doesn’t care if it’s normal or not, her sons are completely adorable, there’s no doubt in her mind.

"Do you want a piece of this muffin, Henry?" She turns to her youngest son, who shakes his head and carries on quite happily eating his cookie.

"I got my cookie, I'm good," he says, picking up his glass and finishing the last of his milk. "Are we going to your office, Mommy?"

"Just for a little while." She smiles at him. "I have some work to finish, so you can hang out with Daddy, and then we'll go home. Did you remember you have to give Daddy big hugs today because he's going to be away for a few days?"

"Daddy's on a bus!" Henry says, excitedly, his eyes wide and his cookie momentarily forgotten.

"Oh, no, honey, Daddy's at work right now and soon he'll be going on a plane, not a bus," she says, turning to Thomas as she feels his hand on her arm.

"He _is_ on a bus, Mommy, look!" Thomas grins at her and Henry giggles as she turns to where they're both pointing, outside, where Will is indeed on a bus, his face greeting them, the News Night logo beside it.

"Ah, yes he is." They've seen him on TV, of course, and Thomas was amazed to see them both in New York magazine a few months earlier, but they seem most impressed by this, by their father's poster on the side of a bus. "Alright McAvoys, let's get back to the office so I can finish work and we can go home."

There's the usual flurry of fuss when they walk through the newsroom, the staff stopping to chat to the boys, both of them insisting on hugs from Uncle Jim, and she leaves them with him as she heads towards Will's office, knowing Jim will point them in the right direction.

"Hey, you busy?" She peeks her head around the door and he looks up, smiling at her.

"Is that a genuine question from my wife or a trick question from my boss?" he asks, standing up and walking around his desk as she comes in, leaning in to kiss her.

"That's for me to know," she says, grinning at him before glancing over his shoulder and spotting the row of toy trains on the table. "Remember when that table used to be where we actually read newspapers?"

"Vaguely," he says, returning her grin. "It was never as much fun as the trains though, let's be honest."

"Daddy!" She hears Thomas right before he runs into the office and hurls himself towards Will.

"Hey buddy." Will picks him up in one swift move and Thomas giggles with delight. "Were you good for Mommy?"

"Yeah, and Henry was good too, but guess what, Daddy?" He bounces in Will's arms and points towards Mackenzie. "There's babies in Mommy's tummy!"

"There's..." He turns to her and she snorts at the look of pure panic in his eyes. " _What_?"

"Relax, honey." She steps closer and runs a hand through Thomas's hair before leaning in to kiss Will again. "Someone here has the wrong end of the stick. I promise you, there's nothing in here other than half a blueberry muffin and a bite of a cookie."

"I'm going to get Henry so we can play with the trains." Thomas says, wriggling to be put down, disappearing back into the bullpen in search of his brother as soon as he's back on the ground.

"There's definitely nothing you need to tell me?" He turns to her, his initial panic gone, replaced by a smirk.

"Nope." She squeezes his hand and smiles. "One of the boys at school told Thomas that all kids came out of their Mummy's tummies, and suddenly it was question time, but no, you have nothing to panic about. This shop is closed for business, done, sold everything it's ever going to sell."

"Still open for browsing?" He waggles his eyebrows and she laughs.

"Mmm, I think that could be arranged," she says, her smirk matching his. "If there was a particular customer I took a shine to."

"Good to know." He glances down as they boys run back into the office and head straight for the table where the trains are waiting for them. "What would a person need to do to become your favourite customer?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly list all of the requirements in front of young ears." She pauses, smiling at Thomas and Henry, and then at Will. "But marrying me, giving me two beautiful boys and doing everything I say at work would be a good start."

"I guess two out of three isn't bad." He shrugs and squeezes her hand before she steps back. "Alright, I'm guessing you have work to do. You going to head back down when you're done?"

"I should be half an hour, forty minutes maybe," she says, nodding. "They know you're going away in the morning, but you might want to remind them? I'll probably still get asked where Daddy is every hour for the next three days, but it's worth a shot."

*

"God, I really hope you brought dinner." She looks up from her work, pushing her glasses back up her nose, smiling at him, knowing he wouldn’t have dared ignore her request for Thai food. "I’ve had two bites of a sandwich and half a blueberry muffin all day."

"Are we reaching the point where I need to show up in your office and feed you lunch while you keep typing?" He walks over to the table and leans down to kiss her, nuzzling his nose playfully against hers.

"We’re not quite there yet," she says, smirking at him as she pushes her pile of paperwork aside and stands up. "Although that does actually sound pretty appealing."

"I’ll bear it in mind," he says, putting the food down on the table. "You want to eat in here?"

"No, I’ve been sitting at this damn table since the kids went to bed, I want to eat in the living room, on the couch, like a savage." She takes off her glasses and folds them, setting them down beside her work and waiting for him to pick up the food again, following him to the kitchen when he does.

"Savage enough to not want a plate?" he asks, opening the fridge and handing her a beer.

"Savage, Billy, not completely feral, there's an ever so slight difference," she says, smiling at him and taking the beer. "Not sure I should be drinking this though. You know, with all the babies I have in this tummy of mine."

"Yeah, where did _that_ come from?" He reaches for the plates and she opens her beer, leaning back against the counter, watching as he piles a mountain of food onto one plate, then the second.

"Some kid at school, by all accounts, and you know how Thomas is right now, a million questions about everything." She picks up his beer and two forks, nodding at him to bring the plates into the living room, sitting down on the couch and sighing, the smell of the food reigniting her hunger. "But how did we get _in_ there, Mummy?"

"Oh God, how did you answer that?" He takes a slug of his beer and she grins, again wondering how he would have handled it.

"I told him that when a Mummy and Daddy really love each other, sometimes they get to have a baby, and if they're really lucky they get to have two, like we did," she says, pausing to take a bite of food. "Thankfully he didn't push it on the logistics."

"You distracted him with food, right?" He smirks, nudges her gently on the shoulder.

"Remarkably, he seemed pretty satisfied with that." She smiles, well aware that the day will come when the questions will be asked and the boys won't be happy until they get an answer. "Possibly helped by the milk and cookies they already had in front of them, I'll admit that."

"Jesus, I'm so not ready for these kinds of questions," he says, frowning slightly. "I don't have a fucking clue what I'd have told him."

"I _didn't_ have a clue. I don't know how honest or detailed you're meant to be when they're this age, I just hoped he'd buy what I was telling him. I seem to have managed to get away with it for now." She stops, takes another forkful of her dinner, washing it down with a gulp of beer. "I think as long as neither of them ever sets eyes on a pregnant woman again to remind them of their curiosity then we'll be fine."

"Well, that's alright then. City of over eight million people, the chances of them ever crossing paths with a pregnant woman are slim to none." He raises his eyebrows and shrugs.

"Oh you think you're clever now, but you won't be mocking when my answer to the next awkward question is 'I think you should ask Daddy'," she says, grinning. "And I don't think 'Mummy's really hot and Daddy just can't keep his hands off her' is an appropriate answer for a six-year-old."

"Oh, I don't know...aren't you the one always advocating total honesty?" He picks up his beer again and watches her over the top of the bottle, his eyes warm and teasing, reminding her that he's about to leave for three nights in DC, and she can't even complain because, as his boss, she's the one sending him there.

"Fair point," she says, focusing back on her dinner, determined to manage a few more mouthfuls before she admits defeat. "Did they have _any_ recollection of being told you wouldn’t see them for a few days?"

"Thomas did, I think," he says, sliding his plate down onto the coffee table and picking up his beer. "Henry…not so much. I can remind them in the morning. I need to leave just before seven, and as much as I love your optimism, honey, there's a good chance at least one of the kids, if not both, will be awake by then."

"I know." She sighs and takes one final bite of her dinner, moving her plate next to his and taking the last pull from her beer. "Still, I should probably be prepared for a fairly constant stream of ‘Where’s Daddy? When’s he coming home? Friday? Is today Friday? Tomorrow?’, right?"

"Yeah, probably, assuming they even notice I’m not around." He moves his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer until she leans into him and sighs happily.

"That says way more about their inability to grasp the concept of time than it does about how much they adore their daddy," she says, covering his hand with her own and stroking her thumb across his skin. "And they're hilarious on Skype when you're away, so there is that."

"That's true," he says, and she can hear the grin running through his voice as he kisses the top of her head.

"What the hell that boss of yours was thinking though, sending you out for three nights I really don't know..." She murmurs, threading her fingers more tightly through his and squeezing. "Fucking tyrant."

"Oh, she's terrifying, I wouldn't dare say no to her." He smirks when she looks up at him, an eyebrow raised. "She's hot though. Great legs, _really_ great legs."

"Well, these legs need to be up early, along with the rest of me, so we really should get some sleep." She lets out a sigh and sits forward, reaching for the plates, surprised when his hand on her arm stops her. "What?"

"Leave them. Go get changed, I'll load the dishwasher and I'll be right in," he says, smiling at her, the tiredness in his eyes reflecting how weary she feels. "You don't have get up with me in the morning, you know. I can sneak out, leave you sleeping for a while...I'll even start the coffee for you before I go. Unless the kids _are_ awake, in which case we're screwed."

"Well, speaking of screwed...I'm not going to see you until Friday and I'm way too tired to even think about pulling my best moves tonight, so I was thinking I'd say goodbye in style tomorrow morning." She bites her lip to stifle a laugh at him almost dropping the plates he's just picked up. "But if you'd rather I sleep..."

"Hell no, I like your idea _much_ better," he says, grinning widely at her.

"Good...you know how much I love morning sex, Billy," she says, already anticipating his hands, his mouth on her in the dim light of the early morning, feeling herself flush slightly at the thought. "We just never seem to manage it very often now we have two kids who seem to think it's their duty to be up with the lark every day."

"I know, but we'll manage it tomorrow, honey, I promise you that." He stands up with the plates and she does the same, picking up the two empty beer bottles and following him into the kitchen. Tossing them into the recycling box, she watches as he starts to load the dishwasher, starting with the plates and cups beside the sink that she never got around to rinsing earlier.

"Go to bed, Mackenzie, I'll just be a few minutes," he says, turning and smiling as she covers a sudden yawn, wondering if she'll still be awake in the short time it will take him to finish up and follow her to bed.

"Alright." She smiles and squeezes his arm before heading down the hallway.

*

"And then we took Tom Tom to piano and we went to the park, and Yona made me put my hat on 'cos my ears were cold, and then when we got Tom Tom we got cupcakes 'cos Yona said she needed coffee, and then we came home and Mommy's making dinner, and..." Henry pauses, possibly only because he needs to take a breath, and Will grins at him as he carries on, abruptly switching topics. "Are the trees pink now, Daddy?"

"Sounds like you had a busy afternoon, buddy," he says, watching as his son nods enthusiastically. "No, the trees aren't pink right now, it's the wrong time of year."

"Why?" Thomas appears beside Henry, frowning at the computer screen. "Why is it the wrong time?"

"Well, the trees only blossom at a certain time of the year, and the rest of the time they're busy growing the flowers, like right now." He smiles as both boys nod, smiling a little wider when Mackenzie comes into view behind them. "Hey, honey."

"Hey." She smiles and rests her hand on the top of Henry's head, running her fingers through his hair. "How was today? Did you see Maggie?"

"Good, yeah, I did. She's all set for a piece tonight, and she says hi," he says, glancing at his watch quickly before grinning at the boys. "I really need to get moving, I'm sorry, I just wanted to check in first, say goodnight to you guys."

"It's not bedtime yet, Daddy," Thomas says with a giggle. "We didn't even eat dinner!"

"I know, but when it is bedtime I'll be at work so I won't get to talk to you." He smiles as Henry's eyes widen, no doubt at the thought of his dinner. "Are you being good for Mommy?"

"Of course," Henry answers, earnestly. "Are you coming home tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow, no," he says, shaking his head and smiling. "The next day though. Real soon."

"Okay," Henry says, a faint frown on his face melting into a grin when Mackenzie ruffles his hair again.

"Alright, say goodnight to Daddy so you can eat dinner," she says, smiling as both boys wave at the screen, wishing him goodnight and blowing kisses in his direction as they always do over Skype.

"Thank you for the flowers," she says, leaning forward, smiling as she tucks her hair behind her ear, thinking about the huge bouquet now sitting on her desk at work. "They were beautiful."

"You're welcome." He returns her smile. "I'll call you after the show."

"Okay." She nods, reaching for the mousepad on the laptop. "I'll talk to you later."

Thomas always falls asleep without a fuss on Wednesdays, his piano lesson apparently taking all of his concentration and leaving him ready for bed. For Henry's instant fall into slumber tonight she has Leona to thank for letting him run around the park while Thomas was at his lesson, the perfect combination of exercise and fresh air wiping him out. She loads the dishwasher, folds the laundry, and thinks about Thomas and his piano lessons, about how unsure she was about giving in to his pleas, not wanting to push him before he was ready, even though nothing makes her happier than knowing he loves the piano like she does.

They bought him a kiddie piano a couple of Christmases earlier and once he'd shown some basic aptitude and started to tinker on the full-sized piano she started asking questions, doing some research. She spent a lot of time worrying that he was too young to start lessons, that he might struggle, and she didn't want to turn something he loved into something difficult and stressful. It took some simple logic from Will ("So go with him for the first few lessons, practice with him at home. Honey, you'll know if he's enjoying it or not. Don't overthink it, just give it a try.") to calm her down, and he was right of course. She knows her son, she'd have recognised instantly if he was unhappy, if it wasn't the right choice, but it was, he loved it from the start, and a month ago his piano teacher sat down in front of them and told them he was doing well, better than most, and that she thinks he may have a real talent. So he has weekly lessons and she practices with him at home, watching with pride as his small fingers move nimbly across the keys, his lip firmly between his teeth in concentration.

She's in bed reading when her phone vibrates, Will's name flashing up on the screen, and she smiles as she reaches for it.

"Are you in bed?" His voice rumbles low down the line, and she puts her book down and sinks down lower into the pillows.

"God no, I'm at a bar, on my seventh, maybe my eighth drink, I can barely hear you it's so wild in here." She smirks, barely able to imagine such a possibility. "Of course I'm in bed. Where are you, out cavorting with the ladies of our nation's capital?"

"Well, you know, I would be, but it'd be pointless," he says, sighing softly. "None of them could even hope to stack up in comparison to my wife."

"You're so smooth, Billy," she says, shaking her head, amused. "Good show tonight, by the way."

"Thanks." She hears the smile in his voice, warm and sweet. "How was your day?"

"It was okay...busy, but good. Thomas had a good lesson today too, and Leona did me a huge favour when it became clear I wasn't going to manage to be in three places at once this afternoon, so yeah..." She smiles, thankful yet again to have Leona in their lives. "It was fine."

"Glad to hear it. So, you're in bed..." He pauses, lowering his voice even further, sending a ripple of warmth through her that seems just cruel when he isn't here. "What are you wearing, Mackenzie?"

"Well, it's almost eleven, I've been up since six this morning, I just spent the evening running around after two kids, finally managing to get them fed, bathed and into bed..." She leans back into the pillows, closing her eyes. "So now I'm just lounging here with nothing more than a few tiny scraps of black lace covering my modesty-"

"You're wearing the PJs with the ducks aren't you?" He breaks in and she grins at his question.

"I didn't want to tell you that and have you get all overheated at the thought...but yeah, that's exactly what I'm wearing," she says, sighing. "You missing me?"

"Like you wouldn't fucking believe," he says quickly, his tone making her smile.

"Which is the only reason I send you out on the road at all, I hope you know, so you appreciate me even more when you get home." She bites back a yawn but it only leads to one that's twice as wide as the original threatened to be. "I like to think I've made up for it though by getting you on an afternoon flight on Friday and giving you the night off."

"For the record, I always appreciate you, whether I'm away or not. But yeah, you've totally made up for it with Friday's arrangements." He answers without hesitation, and she grins. "And if we can get the kids into bed with minimal fuss, I'll show you exactly how much I miss you when I'm away."

"You know, if you make sure you bring presents for them we can withhold them on the promise of them going to bed without protest," she says, momentarily questioning the integrity of her suggestion before his laugh chases her worry away. "It's worth a try, at least."

"Then it's a good thing I went to the Air and Space Museum this afternoon," he says, and she knows that means Thomas has the spacesuit he's been wanting since his recent obsession with space travel really took hold. "The presents are covered."

"Nice work, Billy," she murmurs, smiling at the thought of him buying out the whole museum for the boys. "We really should take them down there, they'd love the museum, Thomas especially."

"Yeah, we should." He agrees, and she yawns again, sliding her glasses off and setting them down beside the bed. "I think I should go, let you get some sleep."

"Mmm, sleep sounds good." She burrows down deeper under the covers, smiling into the phone. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sleep well, honey," he says, his voice low and soothing. "I love you." "You too," she replies softly. "Goodnight."

*

Thursday feels, for some unknown reason, like the longest day in history, and everyone who ever annoys her chooses to exercise that right, to the point where, by mid-afternoon, she's ready to scream. When she finally manages to leave to get home to the boys, it's an hour later than she had planned and it means the poor babysitter has ended up staying almost two hours longer than she should have.

"I'm so, so sorry, Katie, thank you so much for staying." She leaves her laptop in the hallway and calls out as she rushes into the dining room, where the boys are at the table, perfectly happy, colouring books and crayons in front of them. "I hope this hasn't messed up your evening too badly, I really did intend to leave at the usual time, and then-"

"It's totally fine, Mrs McAvoy, really, no problem," Katie says, smiling over at her from her seat next to Thomas. "I really should get moving now though, if that's okay?"

"Oh, God, of _course_ it's okay," she says, reaching for her purse and taking out Katie's money, handing it over along with a couple of extra bills. "There's a little extra too, thank you again, so much, you're a lifesaver."

"Oh, thank you..." Katie takes the money and her eyes widen at the additional payment. "Wow, seriously? Thank you, you really don't have to..."

"Yes, I do," she says, emphatically. Katie's a good kid, she's sweet, mature, and she's great with the boys, and God knows finding people to trust with your kids is no easy feat so hell, if she needs to hurl extra money at this girl then she's going to do it.

"Alright, awesome, thanks." Katie beams and stands up, grinning down at the boys as she picks up her bag. "See you real soon. Have a fun evening with your Mom, okay?"

The boys break from their crayons to nod at her, both smiling happily, reminding her that they're both fine if she isn't with them constantly, something she needs to remember when she gets herself into a frenzy. She's home later than promised, but they have no concept of that, and as long as she's home to give them dinner, read them a story before bed then it's all the same to them. They wave goodbye to Katie and Henry's the first to scramble down from the table and move over to where she's standing, looking up at her, his hair messy, and something looking suspiciously like chocolate smeared across his cheek.

"Hi Mommy," he says, grinning. "Katie said we could do crayons a bit longer because you were super busy, and we should draw something nice for you."

"She did?" She takes his hand and steers him back to the table, running her hand across Thomas's head, smiling when he looks up from his colouring. "Hey Tom Tom, you okay?"

"Yep!" His grin matches Henry's, and again she's struck by how adorable her boys are, their blue eyes and sweet smiles completely irresistible.

"How would you guys like pizza for dinner?" She suddenly has neither the energy nor the inclination to start thinking about what to cook, her plans to stop and pick up groceries having been thwarted by her hellish afternoon.

"Pizza!! With mushrooms, Mommy?" Henry's excited reaction makes her laugh, as does his ongoing love for mushrooms.

"Sure, sweetie, we can definitely have mushrooms." She smiles and heads into the kitchen for the menus.

They end up agreeing on a bizarre mix of pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, and sweetcorn, but she does veto Henry's request for banana, supported by Thomas's "But Mommy hates bananas!", and ending with a counter offer of ice cream for dessert which seems to be enough to satisfy her youngest son's sweet tooth. She texts Will to tell him he should count himself lucky he's not here, and to prepare for a photo of the weirdest pizza she's ever ordered. His reply comes back almost instantly, _'Weirder than the tuna, jalapeño, and mozzarella you ordered more than once when you were pregnant with Henry? ;)'_ and she grins, remembering that no, there's probably nothing as weird as that.

_'Touché, Billy, x'_

She sends the message right back, smiling before turning back to where the boys are sitting on the floor, watching them as they arrange Henry's trains alongside Thomas's space rocket, debating which one is actually the fastest.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Sliding her aching feet out of her heels, she scoops them up and smiles as the boys nod before she heads towards the bedroom, grabbed by a sudden need to change into something comfortable.

She's pulling her hair into a ponytail when she sees Thomas appear in the doorway, watching her, a thoughtful expression on his face. When she smiles at him, he moves into the room and climbs up onto the bed, smiling at her when she turns to him.

"You okay, sweetie?" she asks, wondering if he has something he wants to say or if he just wanted a few minutes alone time with her as he does occasionally.

"Daddy's coming home tomorrow, right?" He frowns slightly before carrying on when she nods. "I don't know if I can remember...I think I might forget some of the song."

"Well, that's okay, Tom Tom. Daddy's going to love it even if you do forget some of it, he's going to be so proud of how well you're doing." She feels a quiver of guilt run through her again as she wonders if she pushed him too far, even though he was the one who insisted he wanted to be able to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano for Will when he gets home. "It's okay to forget things sometimes, and new things always take some time to learn. Sometimes Daddy forgets things, and I forget things, and it's alright. If you don't want to play it yet, you know you don't have to-"

"I want to play it, Mommy, but maybe...if I forget, you can help me?" He looks up at her, biting his lip, his blue eyes wide and hopeful.

"I will always be here to help you, honey, with anything," she says, pulling him against her and kissing the top of his head. "How about I sit right beside you at the piano and I can step right in if you need help? Does that sound good?"

"Yep, but only if I forget, 'cos I can play it by myself," he says, his determined tone making her smile.

"I know you can, but it's nice to have help sometimes." Standing up, she takes his hand and helps him down from the bed. "Shall we go and get some drinks ready for when our pizza comes?"

"Apple juice, I think." He nods and smiles at her.

"Oh, well, I can definitely help with that." She squeezes his hand gently and they head out of the bedroom.

*

She hears his key in the door and smiles as both boys do too, scrambling down from the table and charging with purpose across the room and into the hallway. Following them, she leans against the wall, watching as Will comes through the door, barely able to set his suitcase down before his sons lunge for him, a blur of excited voices calling out "Daddy!" and making her smile.

"Hey, you two!" He looks down and grins at them as they gaze up at him, looking at him like he's been away for years rather than just a couple of nights. Leaning down, he ruffles his hands affectionately through their hair. "I missed you guys."

"Quite clearly they missed you too," she says, looking over at them and smiling.

"And you?" He quirks an eyebrow and her stomach somersaults, amazed as ever that he can still do that to her with only a look.

"Why would they have missed me?" She smirks and steps closer, sliding her hand onto his shoulder and running her thumb across his neck. "I haven't been anywhere."

"Funny..." He leans in and kisses her cheek, his lips soft on her skin and his hand reaching down to squeeze hers.

"Alright, I missed you too," she murmurs, tangling her fingers in his and tilting her head so he can kiss her properly, sighing quietly against him as his mouth meets hers and his free hand settles on her lower back. "Or at least I missed having you as my human pillow after running around after your outrageously lively kids every evening."

"Well, your pillow has returned," he says, pulling back and running a finger slowly down her nose. 

"Few hours from now and you can roll all over me to your heart's content."

"Oh, I intend to." She smirks at him and tugs on his hand. "But first the little people need to eat dinner, no doubt you have presents for them which will, of course, whip them into a frenzy, and when we eventually wind them down they're going to want you to read their story tonight, because, you know, I'm old news now Daddy's back. After all that's done, we get to go to bed so I can welcome you home. How does that sound?"

"Like a pretty big list..." He glances down at where the boys are trying to move the suitcase, unsuccessfully so far.

"So the sooner we get started on it, the better, right?" She smiles and squeezes his hand before letting go and turning to the boys. "What exactly are you two doing with Daddy's suitcase?"

"It's heavy!" Henry frowns fairly before turning it into a sweet smile as he looks up at her. "There's presents in it? For me and Tom Tom?"

"There are presents in there for both of you, you're right, but you only get to have them tonight if you promise you're going to eat dinner and go to bed with no complaining, okay?" Thomas nods while Henry seems to be thinking about it. "Mommy and Daddy need to go to bed early tonight and we're _definitely_ not going to be complaining, so it think you can do it too, right?"

"I mean, I _guess_..." Henry pauses, Thomas nods and the promise of presents seems to swing it. 

"Why do you and Mommy need to go to bed early? You're grown-ups."

"Well," she says, smiling at Henry and his curious expression. "Daddy's been working hard in DC, and I've been busy having fun with you and Thomas, so we're both super tired too."

"Oh." Henry's frown returns, the concept of his parents needing sleep (not that sleep is what she has on her mind for tonight, assuming she doesn't flake out long before they get that far...) apparently too strange for him to comprehend. "Are we having hot dogs for dinner?"

"Not tonight, sweetie, no." She smiles at him, unfazed by his abrupt change of subject, probably prompted by the mention of food, always something he's happy to fixate on. "How about I start on dinner and Daddy can give you what he bought for you?"

There's much excitement from Thomas about the astronaut suit Will got him from the museum, and Henry is endearingly overjoyed with yet more trains (she wonders sometimes if he'll ever move on from trains, unable to imagine it right now). By the time they sit down for dinner, later than planned, both boys are flushed and she's sensing the approach of a slump which will hopefully mean complete exhaustion and eyes half closed by the time they make it through story time.

Somehow their early night turns into quite the opposite, and by the time Will finally takes them both down the hallway to read to them and put them to bed, she's the one wrestling with her eyelids, desperate to keep them open, determined not to fall asleep this early, not tonight when she has Will back in bed with her. Heading into the bathroom, she takes her make-up off, washes her face, brushes her teeth, and throws her clothes towards the hamper, if not actually into it, before moving into the bedroom and sliding under the duvet, closing her eyes just for a few seconds, just until Will comes to bed...

"Sorry, honey, but just...scooch over a little." His voice is low, warm, and she feels it running through her as his weight eases into bed beside her and pulls her against his chest, his lips running across her forehead.

"M'awake..." She doesn't sound convincing to her own ears so she knows there's no chance he's going to fall for it. "Two minutes, and I'll be right with you, promise...two minutes, 'kay?"

"Sleep, Mackenzie," he says, quietly, his arms tightening reassuringly around her, his fingers trailing down her arm.

"Mmm, I missed you, and I had such plans for you tonight, but I'm just..." She feels herself start to drift again mid-sentence and she knows there's no turning back. "We'll do it in the morning."

"I'll be here." He laughs softly and his fingers clasp hold of hers as she snuggles against his chest. "I love you."

"Good...that's good." She musters up enough energy to open her mouth, hoping the kiss she plants clumsily to the side of his neck will serve as a promise.

*

The sound of the bedroom door closing is the next thing she's aware of, and a look at the clock as she rolls over tells her it's not yet seven. Will climbs back into bed beside her and she smiles slowly at him, registering the silence, hoping with all she has that it signals two boys who are still sound asleep.

"Break it to me gently. Who's awake?" She edges closer to him and slides her hand onto his chest, her fingers absently running through the light blonde hairs, his skin warm under her touch as always.

"Neither of them," he says quietly, a smile tugging at his lips. "And yeah, before you ask, I did lock the door."

"Perfect," she says with a sigh, reaching down and sliding her hand into his shorts, giggling at his surprised look. "What? Sure, they're asleep now but it's almost seven, and you know as well as I do that Thomas can go from sound asleep to halfway down the hall in a heartbeat."

"So this is a double Q kind of a situation?" He lets out a long breath as her hand wraps around him and strokes slowly, appreciating that he's hard already as her other hand scratches lightly down his chest.

"Quick and quiet? I can do quiet if you're okay with quick." She quirks an eyebrow and leans in to kiss him, her tongue pushing urgently against his as his hand slides into her hair.

He's only been gone for three nights, and hell, she's the one who could, if she wanted to, decide never to have him go outside the studio again, but she knows it's good for the show, for him, and for the ratings to have him be seen to leave the comfort of the studio from time to time. Anything she can sell as a ratings grabber to Pruit means an easier life for her, so she'll do it, even if it means a few nights without Will every so often. Still, she's always happy when he's home again, especially when this is what she wakes up to.

Shifting slightly, she rolls onto her back and pulls him with her, quickly peeling off the t-shirt she barely remembers throwing on last night and sliding her hand down between her legs as she waits for him to kick off his shorts. It's not going to take much, she basically woke up half ready and the deal was sealed with the feel of his tongue in her mouth a few minutes ago, so the slow circles she starts to rub are for his benefit as much as hers. The effect is predictable and she watches his eyes darken as his hand moves down, pushing hers aside completely to replace it with his own.

"You just can't stand the thought of anyone's fingers down there but yours, can you?" She bites her lip as his thumb comes to rest exactly where she wants it, gently teasing, stroking through her wetness.

"Well, I guess you do have to keep yourself occupied somehow when I'm not here..." He ducks his head and presses his lips against the side of her neck, and when he scrapes his teeth across her skin she feels her nipples harden against his chest.

"Will, please..." She stops, biting back a moan and turning her face into the pillow as he slides two fingers slowly into her. "Oh, God..."

She feels his thumb move over her as his fingers push deeper and curl inside her. Grabbing his head, she drags his face to hers and kisses him hard, her tongue sweeping across his top lip and into his mouth, her fingers tightening in his hair. She feels his hardness pressing urgently against her hip and she knows instantly that his fingers, as amazing as they feel, really aren't what she needs inside her now, so she pulls her lips from his and slides her hand down his arm.

"Double Q, remember? I really don't want to hear little voices on the other side of that door before you've even got inside me," she says, pausing, her breath catching as his thumb pushes against her, tapping gently, alternating with slow, deliberate circles.

"If you don't know I'm already inside you then I'm doing something really fucking wrong," he says, smirking at her and twisting his fingers to make his point.

"You're doing everything right, believe me." She smirks at him, tilting her head back into the pillow as she feels herself start to ache under his thumb, a slow burn that tells her he's hitting just the right spot. "But, I want...oh..."

"This," he says quietly, his eyes fixed on hers, his fingers stroking deeper inside her as his thumb keeps up its steady motion. "This is what you want, right?"

"Yeah, I do, but I want..." She stops again because she can't seem to breathe, think, and talk all at the same time, not while he's doing what he's doing with his thumb, not while he's looking at her with such fierce intensity.

"Okay..." She knows that tone, it's the one that says he's about to get it done, and holy shit, it's sexy.

When he dips his head and takes her nipple into his mouth, it takes only a few more strokes of his thumb in combination before she's coming hard, ripples of sheer release running through her as she tugs hard on his hair. It takes all the control she can muster, but she lets out nothing more than a ragged breath, her bottom lip clenched desperately in her teeth to prevent a moan from escaping. His breath is warm against her breast, his tongue hot as he runs it around her nipple, and when he looks up at her his eyes are as dark with arousal as she's ever seen them. She lets out a long, shaky breath as he pulls his fingers slowly out of her and a smile creeps onto his lips.

"I should send you away more often," she says, reaching blindly for a pillow and sliding it underneath her, tilting her hips as she opens her legs and crooks a finger playfully in front of his face. "Alright, I managed quiet, you need to manage quick...get inside me."

He needs no further urging, pushing her knees apart before moving slowly into her, and this time she can't contain the moan that breaks free, the feel of him going deeper as she wraps her legs tightly around his lower back almost too much. She slides her arms under his, her hands settling on his back and pulling his weight down onto her, nodding when he looks at her with faint hesitation in his eyes, sighing as she feels him cover her. She loves the feel of his skin pressed tightly against hers, the tickle of the hairs on his chest as he moves over her, his hands underneath her, cupping her shoulder blades, his fingers in her hair. There's nothing she doesn't like when it comes to sex with Will, and it's every bit as good now as it ever was, maybe even better, but when he's been away this is always what she wants, what she needs; him on top of her, enveloping her completely, barely a fraction of space between them as he moves inside her.

"I missed you." He kisses the side of her neck, his lips moving to her earlobe, sucking lightly.

"You were away for three nights, you big sap." She knows he can hear the grin in her tone, and she knows too that he's well aware she misses him too, and not just because juggling work and the kids is much more of a challenge alone.

"Guilty as charged," he says, his warm breath in her ear making her shiver as he picks up his pace and drives harder into her.

"Mmm..." she murmurs, her fingers gripping tightly onto his shoulders and her feet crossing, sliding higher up his back until the angle is such that he feels as deep inside her as it's possible for him to go, and the feeling steals her breath for a few seconds. "Oh, God..."

"Oh God _good_?" he asks, slowing slightly which only adds to the sensation.

"Definitely good." She answers without hesitation, opening her mouth and running her tongue up the side of his neck, tasting the sleepy tang of his skin. "Just...fuck, intense, I guess. You feel so...so deep. It's so good, Billy."

Her words seem to spur him on further and he lets out something approaching a growl as one hand slides out from under her and his fingers clasp hers tightly. He speeds up again and his breathing starts to get heavier, more laboured, his growl morphing into a groan when she takes his earlobe into her mouth and scrapes her teeth slowly across the skin.

"So..." He stops, shifts slightly to kiss her, his mouth moving from her lips down under her chin, his tongue softly teasing. "This whole being quick thing...how quick were you thinking?"

"I can't say I had an exact figure in mind...I know you're almost there, no judgement from me," she says, squeezing her muscles around him, grinning when he groans her name. "Does that help at all?"

"It's not going to help if you want me to try and hold out." He blinks, long and slow, and she runs her feet up and down his back.

"It's been four days since you came inside me, I'm ready whenever you are," she murmurs, knowing what it does to him when she's direct, when she tells him exactly what she wants.

"Thank God..." He reaches for her other hand and threads their fingers together, pushing their joined hands into the mattress.

It's a matter of just a few seconds before he slows down and presses his face into the side of her neck, releasing his grip on one of her hands long enough for her to slide her fingers into his hair and scratch her nails down the back of his neck. When he comes it's accompanied by a long groan of her name, as it so often is, and followed by his lips finding hers, his tongue pushing against hers as her eyes drift shut. She's loved the touch of Will's lips on her since the very first time he found a dark corner and kissed the hell out of her, and she knows she always will. The thought of the embarrassment it will cause the boys in years to come when their parents are still happily smooching at every given opportunity is one that gives her no end of amusement.

Eventually he moves off her, rolling onto his side and sighing in satisfaction before reaching for her, his hand coming to rest on her bare stomach, his fingers tracing circles around her belly button. The feeling makes her want to close her eyes and go right back to sleep, even as she knows she needs to get up to use the bathroom, not to mention there's no way the kids will sleep for much longer. Giving a reluctant groan, she starts to sit up but his hand stops her, his fingers splayed across her ribcage, a question in his raised eyebrow.

"As much as I would love to spend today curled up here with you, we both know that unless someone snuck in and abducted our kids while we were...otherwise occupied, that's not going to happen," she says, lifting his hand from her body and squeezing his fingers before she sits up. "I'm going to pee, then I'm going to unlock the door, and as much as it causes me great pain to issue this order...you, my delightfully naked husband, are going to put some pants on."

*

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Henry comes running into the kitchen, a whole hour since he finished breakfast, and she turns, smiling at him.

"You are? What would you like, sweetie, an apple, an orange?" She holds up one of each and he frowns, shaking his head. "Or, we have strawberries in the fridge. Do you want some of those?"

"Yeah, strawberries!" He grins and she steps around him to pull out the bowl of strawberries, handing them to him. "Sit down with them, okay? Daddy's at the table, go and sit with him."

"Okay," he says, taking the bowl and licking his lips as he looks down at the strawberries. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, honey." She smiles again at him, proud of his good manners, baffled by his apparent choice of outfit. "Is this what you're wearing today, Henry?"

"Mmm-hmm." He nods and returns her smile before turning and heading towards the table where Will sits reading the sports section and finishing a coffee.

"Hey Henry, what do you have there? Strawberries?" She hears Will's voice and peeks her head around to see his eyebrows raise briefly in her direction as he also spots what Henry's wearing.

"Yep," Henry says, handing the bowl to Will so he can climb up onto the chair next to his.

"You're looking sharp today, buddy," Will says, glancing up at her again and smiling. "Are we heading somewhere important?"

"To the park." He reaches into the bowl and picks out a strawberry, apparently seeing no need to justify his decision to choose a Cookie Monster sweater and a bow tie for his Saturday outfit.

"Is the tie not a little uncomfortable without a shirt?" Will presses the centre of Henry's blue bow tie, and she watches her son grin.

"Oh, maybe I should put on a shirt?" She smirks because she's certain that's wasn't the aim of Will's question.

"No, I really don't think you need a shirt to go to the park." Will answers quickly, before Henry can decide that he absolutely should go and put on a shirt to go with his bow tie. "I think Cookie Monster is a great choice."

She watches them for a few more seconds before turning back to put the last of the dishes away, and she's just finished when she hears Thomas calling her from the other room. Heading in his direction, she finds him sitting at the piano, his hands moving over the keys, but barely touching them, not enough to make a sound, and she smiles at him biting his lip in concentration.

"You okay, Tom Tom?" He turns, lets out a long sigh, and lifts a hand to lightly scratch his head.

"I think I want to play my song for Daddy _before_ we go to the park..." He pauses and she waits as he frowns slightly before he goes on. "I think 'cos if we go out and run around it might fall out of my head and I'll forget it."

"You've been practising so hard, sweetie, that I'm sure it wouldn't fall out." She smiles at him, stepping closer and sitting down on the chair beside him. "But I think Daddy would love to hear it before we go out, and Henry is certainly ready for a concert, he has his bow tie on and everything."

"He has his bow tie on?" Thomas shrugs, seeming to decide he's not entirely surprised by his brother's clothes choice. "Okay...well, Henry can listen too, but only if he's going to be super quiet."

"Remember we talked about it?" She carries on when he nods. "I can sit next to you so if you need help I'll be right there."

"I think...I think I'm going to do it all by myself," he says, sounding so determined she can't resist dropping a kiss to the top of his head. "I'll be okay, Mommy."

"I know you will, you're my big boy," she says, smiling at him. "Alright, I'm going to get Daddy."

She leaves Thomas at the piano, running her fingers gently through his hair before she stands up, and goes in search of Will. She finds him exactly where she left him, sitting at the table with Henry, a now empty bowl in front of them, the sports section of the paper replaced by a jigsaw puzzle.

"Are we going to the park now?" Henry's face lights up in a sweet smile when she walks in, dimming slightly when she shakes her head in response.

"Soon, honey, but first Thomas has something to show Daddy," she says, watching as Henry purses his lips, wondering, she thinks, if he knows what it is she's talking about. "You remember, Henry, something he's been practising while Daddy was away."

"The song!" Henry yells before covering his mouth and repeating his word, this time in a whisper. "The song, but it's a secret."

"Why don't you run in and tell your brother we'll be right there, and Daddy is excited to hear what he's going to play?" She steps forward, prepared to catch him if he hurls himself off his chair, relieved when he climbs down sensibly but then hurtles down the hallway in search of Thomas.

"He wanted to learn something to surprise you when you got back, we've been practising quite a lot when you haven't been around, and he's got it, Billy, he can do it." She slides her arm through his and squeezes, proud of their son for his determination and his dedication, and just completely in love with how much he wants to impress his father.

"A whole song? Seriously?" Will's eyes widen and he smiles at her. "We have a genius for a child. Actually, two, probably, just wait until Henry gets on a ball field."

"Steady on, mister, he's six, we're not looking at Juilliard just yet," she says, nudging his shoulder but smiling back at him, every bit as proud of their kids as he is. "It's not exactly the William Tell overture, but it _is_ a whole song, so yeah, it's a big deal for him."

"Do I get a clue?" he asks, following her when she starts off down the hallway.

"What's his current obsession?" She stops and turns to him, half listening to the conversation she can hear between the boys about why Henry is wearing a bow tie to the park.

"Holy crap, is it Space Oddity?" She can't quite tell if he's serious, or if he really does think Thomas is a musical prodigy.

"Space Oddity is five minutes and fifteen seconds long. Can I remind you again that's he's six? _Six_." She leans in and lowers her voice. "You might want to lower your expectations just a little."

"See, now I'm distracted by the fact that you know the exact length of that song," he says, fixing his gaze on her and grinning. "But you don't need to be worried about my expectations. He could fart the national anthem and I'd be impressed."

"If he could fart the national anthem, I'd be taking him to the hospital," she says, grimacing slightly. "But I see where you were going with that, I-"

"There you are!" Henry's voice stops her, and he stands in the doorway grinning at them both. "Tom Tom's ready to play the song!"

They follow their excited youngest son into the room where Thomas sits at the piano, again biting his lip, his face a study in pure concentration, his frown lifting when Will walks over and ruffles his hair.

"Mommy says you've been practising real hard, Thomas, I'm proud of you," he says, smiling down at his son. "All you have to do is remember what you practised and try your best. I'm sure it's going to sound great."

Henry climbs into her lap and she wraps her arms around him, relishing the chance since he so rarely sits still and lets her cuddle him now he's getting older. He's still so blonde, and she can't help wonder if he'll stay that way or if it will gradually start to turn darker...not that it matters, of course, but there really is something she loves about having one little blonde boy and one with a mop of dark hair.

The dark haired boy in question looks over at her, giving her a nervous glance, so she nods her encouragement and he starts to play. It's slow at first, tentative, but a few bars in he starts to relax and she sees the tension slide from his face until he's just enjoying it as he usually does, and he's note perfect. Will moves his hand to her leg, squeezing her knee, and when she looks at him, his eyes are fixed firmly on Thomas, following his small fingers moving deftly over the keys. She can see how proud he is and she has to swallow back a sudden lump in her throat, recognising it as one of those moments when she's so overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone she has in this room that she almost has to pinch herself. Thomas reaches the end and hits the last note with such obvious enthusiasm that it makes her smile, and when Henry starts clapping his hands she laughs and joins him.

Climbing down from the piano, Thomas runs over and stands in front of Will, his grin turning to a giggle when Will scoops him up into his lap and runs a hand playfully through his hair.

"Did you guess it, Daddy? The song?" Thomas sits back slightly, his smile huge and his eyes bright.

"Right away, buddy, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," he replies, returning his son's smile. "You did a great job. Really great."

"I was nervous 'cos I didn't want to forget it, but only a little bit," Thomas says, turning to Henry and pointing at his neck. "Are you really wearing your bow tie to the park?"

"Hmm, no, now your song is done, I think I'm going to leave it at home," he says, trying to pull it off over his head, only succeeding in getting it caught around his ears until Will steps in and removes it for him. "Can we go to the park now?"

"Sure, let's go," Will says, letting Thomas slide down from his lap, watching as Henry does the same from hers.

"And 'cos Tom Tom did the piano so good..." Henry says, turning his sweetest smile on them (the one that, although she'd never admit it, looks very similar to one she may have used on Will occasionally...). "Maybe we could have ice cream?"

"Oh, he's good," Will nudges her and she laughs.

"I think that's a great idea, Henry," she says, grinning at Will. "Bring your wallet, Billy, your family needs ice cream."


End file.
